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Abstract: The Tuolumne River Preservation Trust records provide detailed documentation of the administrative and legal activities of
the Trust, as well as all aspects of the campaigns to win Wild and Scenic status for the Tuolumne River and environmental
protection for the Clavey River. The bulk of the collection dates from 1981-1997, although material dating from 1968 is found
in the files.

Photographs have been transferred to Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.

Sound recordings have been transferred to the Microforms Collection of The Bancroft Library.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The Tuolumne River Preservation Trust records were given to The Bancroft Library by the Trust on March 13, 1987. Additions
were made on September 1, 1998.

Organization History

The Tuolumne River Preservation Trust was formed in 1982 to mount a campaign for Congressional designation of the Tuolumne
River as Wild and Scenic to meet the immediate crisis of the river's loss of legal protection in October of that year. Based
in San Francisco, the Trust grew out of the Tuolumne River Coalition, which was built on the Citizens Action Project, an energy
conservation group that coordinated the efforts of the Sierra Club, Friends of the River, and fishing and boating groups to
oppose the City of San Francisco's continued involvement with the Clavey-Wards Ferry Dam project. The Trust was formed to
act on the recommendations of the Tuolumne Study Team, whose 1979 proposal urged Wild and Scenic River status for the undeveloped
portions of the Tuolumne.

The campaign to preserve the Tuolumne from further commercial and hydroelectric development followed almost immediately on
the unsuccessful campaign to protect the Stanislaus River under the federal Wild and Scenic program. Learning from the failure
of that campaign, the Trust worked to establish broader public, media, and legislative support, and to develop a sophisticated
legal expertise. The Trust drew its own leadership from established environmental organizations such as the National Audubon
Society, the Sierra Club, and the Friends of the River.

In its efforts to gain Wild and Scenic status for the Tuolumne River, the Trust made its public campaign a strong state and
national issue through the use of direct mail and a broadly based grass roots environmental strategy. It established political
networks, media outreach channels, and county-based environmental canvasses. The Trust organized rafting trips on the Tuolumne
as a way to build public outreach and held raffles and dinners that combined publicity with fund raising. It developed extensive
political mailing lists and used direct mail publicity to expand the donor network and to engage a broad cross section of
the public in the issue. Richard Chamberlain lent his celebrity name for higher issue recognition, and played an active role
in the Congressional hearing in May 1984.

The campaign culminated during the 1984 congressional hearings and the passage of the Congressional bill gave Wild and Scenic
status to the Tuolumne River in September of that year. After the initial round of celebrations, the Trust decided to continue
its existence to oversee the drafting of the Management Plan for the Tuolumne River.

In 1987, the Trust began a campaign to make the Clavey River dam-free. In March 1995, after an eight year battle, the Turlock
Irrigation District withdrew its proposal for a $700 million, five dam, power project. The Trust promoted the dam project's
impact on the environment, as well as the poor economics, and with the help of the Central Valley agricultural community and
industrial interests, was able to force the Irrigation District to cancel the project.

A settlement agreement was reached in January 1996 that commited $7 million and increased flows in the Lower Tuolumne, a plan
that over the next ten years would aid in the recovery and protection of the salmon population. In its' efforts to continue
public education and outreach, the Trust opened the Tuolumne Watershed Visitors Center in Groveland in June 1996. In August
of the same year, the Trust established a collaborative project to design a management plan for the Clavey watershed. Working
with the Forest Service, Department of Fish and Game, and environmental groups, the Trust will facilitate the plan to insure
protection of the Clavey water quality and wildlife populations.

Scope and Content

The Tuolumne River Preservation Trust records provide detailed documentation of the administrative and legal activities of
the Trust, as well as all aspects of the campaigns to win Wild and Scenic status for the Tuolumne River and environmental
protection for the Clavey River. The bulk of the collection dates from 1981-1997, although material dating from 1968 is found
in the files.

The Administrative Records document some of the planning needed to establish the Trust and provide a detailed record of the
memos, agendas, and minutes for the Board of Directors and its meetings. The correspondence of the Executive Director gives
insight on campaign and long range strategies, while the correspondence of the Associate Director reflects daily office activity
and the mechanics of implementing and coordinating the Trust's many projects.

The campaign to save the Tuolumne River includes correspondence and other documentation relating to outreach, public programs,
fund raising, promotional activities, river tours, fund raisers, and celebrations. The formation and implementation of the
Trust's direct mail campaign is an important aspect of the collection. The documentation relating to the May 1984 Congressional
hearing on Wild and Scenic status for the Tuolumne River was also instrumental to the success of the campaign. The decision
of the Trust to oversee the Management Plan for the Tuolumne River under the Wild and Scenic program is also included.

Material concerning issues and individuals involved in the campaign is also provided in the Subject Files. These document
the breadth of citizen involvement as well as the participation of many other organizations, from the local groups that maintain
family camps on the river to the complex legal proceedings against the Clavey-Wards Ferry dam and other hydro-electric projects.
The Subject Files also illustrate the constant flow of information regarding the political positions of candidates, legislators,
and other interest groups concerned with the fate of the Tuolumne River.

Reports include the views of non-profit organizations, like the Environmental Defense Fund, as well as government interests,
including the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior. Publicity and clipping files were maintained by the
Trust to follow the progress of key legislators and issues in order to provide source material for reports and statements,
and to provide supplements to their own updates and mailers to members and supporters.

The campaign to Save the Clavey River includes many of the same elements and strategies found in the previous campaign. Correspondence
is included as well as documentation related to management plans, outreach, direct mail, and fund raisers. The Clavey campaign
Subject Files are arranged in the same manner as the Tuolumne Subject Files, and provide similar information. Reports illustrate
various issues and document environmental concerns as well as government interests, while Publicity and clippings were used
to provide souce materials and document political interests and issues.